World Cup 2010, Spain-Germany Review: World Cup Buzz Podcast

Spain is through to their first World Cup final, keeping a clean sheet against the powerful Germans, advancing to Sunday’s final with a 1-0 victory. To talk about the match, I am joined by Laurence McKenna and Kartik Krishnaiyer for this edition of the World Cup Buzz Podcast.

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Poker RakebackJuly 7, 2010

Wow, I’m 5 mins into this podcast and I’m already shaking my head. Kartik going on about the teams playing like lower lever club sides?
I think we saw Spain doing what they do to every team they play, keeping possession and passing the other team to death. I admit they didn’t have many clear cut chances but i think that was more to do with the Germans tactics of sitting in and trying to break on the counter. The problem with that tactic is that Spain don’t give the ball away.
The first half was boring as Germany sat and Spain couldn’t break them down.
The moment Spain scored you knew it was over because no one and I mean no one keeps the ball better than they do.
It was men against boys today and Spain deserve to be in the final. Germany are certainly better than I thought they would be but they are along way off being up there with this Spanish team. I think we will see Spain hold the European Championship and the World Cup at the same time.
So much for Kartik thinking the European teams not doing anything in this tournament or the no way a European team will win outside of Europe, Well done Kartik, only 3 out of the last 4 are European

This pod was pretty good until Kartik and Richard piled on about Xabi Alonso. He has been a steady calming presence in the Spanish midfield. Both you guys are idealists listening to your past shows and demonstrate your outright hypocrisy by saying that the Dutch and the Spanish are bad because they don’t meet your exceptions for style and type of tactics, yet you give plaudits to sides like Japan, Korea, Chile, Paraguay, etc that are tactically naive and inflexible. I have listen to both you guys alot on various shows and while it is obvious both of your VERY well versed in world football and watch alot of leagues and gives some solid analysis, you consistently hold bigger sides both at the club level and international level to higher, almost impractical standards when compared the (lesser) competition.

To me it is becoming quite a bore. If Japan, Genoa or Wigan do something nice expect good analysis and sometimes over the top praise. If Man U, Inter, Bayern, Spain or Netherlands do well, you are always trying to poke holes in them. It’s a consistent pattern with both of you and while I like both of your analysis, you feed off one another with the idealism and by extension hyper analytical negativity.

What is patently obvious is that people like Kartik and Lawrence and the gaffer who wanted Getmany to win are as fustrated as the Germans because Spain completely shut them down and never let them posess the ball efectively. One of the best matches I have seen in a long time for simply the skill on the ball to eviscerate a strong German side without resorting to fouls. You have to focus and be a keen observer of the game to see what the Spanish did so well offensively and defensively, but only Richard noticed. The German coaches and players unanimously hailed the Spanish. The Spanish were the sole reason for their demise, not tactics or personnel.

TR1, before this game kicked off, I was hoping Spain would win it, not Germany. Yes, Spain was brilliant in this match, but it’s not the type of soccer that I enjoy watching. It’s like looking at a piece of modern art that the critics fall in love with, but I can’t figure out what the big attraction is.

I get it. Spain are technically gifted and pure magicians on the ball. But they limit themselves when they play because they’re purposefully holding back in order to win the game.

I disagree with you that Spain was the sole reason for Germany’s demise. Germany was the reason for Germany’s demise. They held back but could have done so much more to win this game. The cop-out answer for Germany, after losing, is to rave about the opposition. It deflects the blame away from the Germans and places the credit on Spain rather than looking inwardly at what mistakes Germany made.

I think you fail to appreciate the courage required to play the way Spain do. Why do you think the Germans let them do it? Why did they not disrupt it? The Spanish were both brilliant at playing so calmly under pressure, and at immediately chasing the Germans down to disposess them. I know when I played how difficult it is to do what they did as a team. It simply should not happen at this level. It may be a matter if expectations, and it sounds to me you were looking for more end to end stuff the way the Germans played against the English and Argies. There was no way either team was going to do that, both too good, but it was played at a higher level, and I am finding many casual fans enjoyed it. This match was more baseball than football.

If I were too criticize Germans, I would say they waste too many balls, and need to work on their skill on the ball. The score should gave been 4-1, except for the German goalie and bad finishing. In a way, what Germany did to England, Spain did to Germany. I am actually heartened that Germany did not abandon the skill game for the physical game. Germany has really shown a brightness in their play and I hope they keep developing this style to leave a signature of their own unique style in the next 8 years. I have enjoyed their soccer very much, but Spain are years in to their current cycle.

I would love to hear what Laurence had to say about X. Alonso if he hadn’t played for Liverpool. I am a die hard red and really appreciate what Alonso brings to a side, but he has been average this tournament. If this guy had the career of Busquets it would have been three podcasters piling on.

Maybe Spain don’t play in the most entertaining fashion, but it works & they’re in the final. They deserved their win though I do think the suspension of Müller was a major factor. Podolski, Klose & Özil looked out of sorts without Müller and personally I feel its about time FIFA reviewed their rules on accumulated yellow cards. Too many times sides have been denied major players in finals because of a couple of cards picked up games far apart. In 1984 Spain went into the European Championship final against France without Maceda and lost. Four years later Kuznetsov of the Soviet Union missed the final through suspension against the Dutch and without him his side lost.
More recently we saw Ballack miss the World Cup final in 2002 and of course most famously, if England had reached the 1990 final, Gascoigne would have had to miss it. As far as I’m concerned I watch football to see players, not card happy officials & how is it fair that a laughable call by an official gets Müller the same ban as Suarez? Yellow cards in consecutive games should be the rule for suspension, as players shouldn’t have the sword of Damocles hanging over them for more than one game.

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World Cup 2010, Spain-Germany Review: World Cup Buzz Podcast

Spain is through to their first World Cup final, keeping a clean sheet against the powerful Germans, advancing to Sunday’s final with a 1-0 victory. To talk about the match, I am joined by Laurence McKenna and Kartik Krishnaiyer for this edition of the World Cup Buzz Podcast.